S2E7: Cross My Wings and Hope to Fly Part 1
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: ***SEQUEL TO "HOW TO CHEAT A DRAGON'S CURSE"*** A boy washes up on the shores of Berk, and after learning the boy's identity, the dragon riders race to the dragon hunter base, not only save the boy's best friend, but to take back the Dragon Eye.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: RACE TO THE EDGE SPOILERS!**

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 ***repeatedly bangs head against wall* WHY...CAN'T...I...FOLLOW...THE...RELEASE...DATE!?**

 **Okay, guys! So as you can see, you're getting this early...I don't think anyone's complaining, either, so, yeah, this is happening, you're getting it early, and I hope you're all happy because of that. :)**

 **So let me know what you think of chapter 1, and onwards and upwards, fellow Dragonites, as we dive into the story! :D Enjoy! :D**

* * *

"LET THE TAG-TEAM DRAGON RACE BEGIN!"

The horn was blown, and the first two competing dragons and riders of the two tag teams shot into the sky, one after the other, racing for the lead.

The day was warm and sunny on Berk that bright afternoon, and the sky was clear, in complete contrast to the previous weather conditions of wind and heavy snow. It was the perfect day for a good old-fashioned dragon race.

More or less old-fashioned.

Stormfly shot through the clear sky, circling around the designated flying air with Snotlout, mounted on Hookfang, hot on her tail. She swerved at the last minute, narrowly avoiding crashing into the side of a building. Snotlout, however, wasn't so lucky, and with an _"OOOH!"_ from the audience and an "Ouch, that's _gotta_ hurt!" from Mulch, Astrid took the lead for the first lap in the tag-team race.

"Yeaha!" she laughed, throwing her hands in the air. She totally had this in the bag, and they hadn't even started yet. The onlooking Berkians cheered; she waved and cheered back.

"Come on, Stormfly!" she said. "Let's make this count!"

Stormfly chirped her agreement and sped on. It wasn't long before Snotlout caught up, just as Astrid was circling the giant torches jutting out from the ocean.

"Took you long enough!" said Astrid, smirking. She had a simple pattern painted on her face in blue face paint; it was nothing flashy, just a small curvy splotch on her forehead with another identical splotch beneath it, but it was better than Snotlout's face paint, which was red and trailed down his face like blood.

"Oh, yeah?" said Snotlout. "Come on, let's show her, Hookfang!"

Hookfang snorted and sped on. Stormfly's wings pounded, and after a few moments, she was, once again, in the lead.

"And the two racers come to the rings!" Mulch reported excitedly. "Let's see which of them gets through the most!"

The rings had been built for such races as these and stuck out of the ground like gigantic bubble wands. Astrid and Stormfly made it to the first, and Stormfly tucked her wings close to her side, spun, and made it through the ring.

"Astrid and Stormfly score one point for their team!"

On a wooden board, Gustav, who was keeping score, marked down one tally mark on the top half.

"And here comes Snotlout. He's charging at the ring...oh, and he crashed! If he had a point, he would have lost it! Astrid and Stormfly near the second ring...and they score! Two points for Astrid's team! Here comes Snotlout...and he scores! One point! Astrid missed ring three, but she makes up for it on ring four! Another point to Astrid's team!"

Three tally marks for Astrid's team; one tally mark for Snotlout's, and there were more rings to come. Once Astrid and Stormfly had cleared them all, Stormfly turned and sped off, Snotlout coming in behind her on Hookfang.

"And the racers make their way around the final turn," announced Mulch, "with Astrid and Stormfly in the lead! Snotlout and Hookfang have fallen behind - again!"

Astrid rounded the bend and looked down; Fishlegs and Meatlug, the next two members of her tag team, were waiting for her. Fishlegs was waving his hands over his head excitedly; his face paint, like Astrid's, was fairly simple and green, like the color of a forest.

Astrid held out her hand as Stormfly neared; Fishlegs held his own hand up, and Astrid slapped it.

"TEAM FICCSTRID CLAIMS THE LEADING LAP!" cheered Mulch. "Fishlegs and Meatlug begin lap two!" Meatlug took to the air with Fishlegs on her back, rounding the first bends.

"Oooh, Snotlout!" said Ruffnut and Tuffnut, the other two members of Snotlout's team, who were mounted atop their Zippleback. "You came in second!"

"Shame!" said Ruffnut.

Snotlout slapped Tuffnut's upheld hand, and the twins on their two-headed dragon took off.

"TEAM SNOTNUTS BEGINS LAP TWO!" said Mulch. "Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Barf and Belch take begin the second lap!"

Meatlug may have had the lead, but Barf and Belch were the faster dragon, and within moments, they had caught up to Fishlegs and Meatlug, and within a few more moments, passed them right up.

"Team Snotnuts claims the lead!" said Mulch.

"Haha!" Ruffnut taunted over her shoulder at Fishlegs. "We're _winners!_ Yes!"

"Come on, Meatlug, you can do it!" Fishlegs encouraged, but Meatlug was already flying as fast as she could, and it wasn't fast enough. "It's okay, Meatlug," said Fishlegs. "We'll make up for it on the rings."

They rounded the bend, and the gigantic rings came into view. "And the racers come up against the rings!" said Mulch. "Let's see how they do...team Snotnuts leads with one point through the first ring! Team Ficcstrid follows through!"

"YES!" cheered Tuffnut. "Who's the man? _Me!_ I'm the man!"

As they came up to the next ring, though, Tuffnut's pride wavered; Barf's head went outside the ring, and Belch's head went inside it, yanking the Zippleback to an abrupt halt.

"Ooh!" said Mulch. "And that counts as...half a point…? No, wait, they didn't actually go through the ring...no, wait a moment..."

Gustav banged his head against the board. "Why me?" he moaned.

Meatlug, meanwhile, as Ruffnut and Tuffnut were still trying to untangle their dragon's necks, sped through the ring as fast as she could go. Mulch announced their point; Gustav added another tally to the board.

"And Meatlug and Fishlegs are the first to clear the rings!" said Mulch. "But team Snotnuts still maintains a lead by three points!"

"What?" said Astrid angrily from where she was watching the competition. "How did they get three more points than us?"

It was said to no one in particular; Fishlegs rounded the bend and shot back towards the platform frantically. Tuffnut and Ruffnut were right on his tail.

At the last second, they passed him up, shooting back towards Snotlout, who was to run the lap a second time, as the twins shared a dragon. Ruffnut slapped Snotlout's hand, and Snotlout and Hookfang took to the sky.

"TEAM SNOTNUTS CLAIMS THE LEADING LAP!" cheered Mulch. "Snotlout and Hookfang begin the final lap!"

"I'm sorry!" Fishlegs cried, soaring down towards the final members of their tag-team: Hiccup and Toothless. "I wasn't fast enough!"

Hiccup held up his hand. "Don't worry!" he called. "We've got it!"

Fishlegs slapped his hand, Mulch shouted, "TEAM FICCSTRID BEGINS THE FINAL LAP!" and Toothless shot into the sky. Hiccup was wearing the smallest amount of face paint he could; two straight lines beneath each of his eyes, an inch apart, in red paint so that it matched Toothless' prosthetic tailfin.

"Alright, Toothless," Hiccup said, narrowing his eyes at the speck of Snotlout and Hookfang in front of them. "What do you say we catch up?"

Toothless growled in agreement. Hiccup switched gears on the dragon's tailfin, and, just like that, Toothless shot forward, faster than ever.

"Hookfang and Snotlout hold their lead," said Mulch, "but Hiccup and Toothless are catching up fast!"

"WHAT!?" blurted Snotlout, looking over his shoulder. "But you were behind us literally ten seconds ago!"

"And then," said Hiccup when Toothless was flanking them, "those ten seconds ended." He saluted, and Toothless shot ahead.

"COME ON!" Snotlout moaned, and Hookfang chased after them as fast as he could, loads faster than he had pursued Stormfly and Astrid, because now he knew that this was it. If they didn't win now, they would lose altogether.

"And the competitors come up on the rings!" announced Mulch. "Hiccup and Toothless in the lead with Snotlout right behind them! Snotlout's catching up...here comes the first ring…"

They were both heading straight towards it.

And neither of them were pulling back.

"Snotlout!" Hiccup shouted, and at the last second, he pulled up; Toothless shot upwards, narrowly avoiding a full-on collision with Snotlout and Hookfang.

"HA!" Snotlout laughed. "Chew on that, Dragon Boy!"

He and Hookfang shot through the ring. "One point for team Snotnuts!" said Mulch. Hiccup growled under his breath, and Toothless shot through the tree, tucking his wings in and barrel rolling through. "And Hiccup and Toothless make it through the ring! Another point for team Ficcstrid!"

It took Toothless roughly two seconds before he caught up with Hookfang again, and by this time, Hookfang and Snotlout were nearing the second ring.

"You gonna pull back again, Hiccup?" Snotlout taunted.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes. Snotlout was going to _get it_ …

They both sped towards the ring, equally paced, equally lined in the sky. If they continued like it for much longer, they would collide.

One second.

Hiccup didn't move.

They got closer and closer.

Snotlout's confidence that Hiccup would pull away wavered.

Nearly colliding-

"Plasma blast," Hiccup whispered to Toothless.

Instantly, Toothless fired one; the plasma exploded in the air directly in front of Snotlout like a gigantic purple firework. Snotlout, with a shriek that hardly sounded human, yanked on Hookfang's horns and pulled him out of harm's way.

Toothless, meanwhile, barrel rolled through the ring.

"Score! One point to team Ficcstrid!"

"HEY!" Snotlout yelled in protest. "NOT FAIR!" But when no one backed him up, he stopped complaining and raced to catch up with Hiccup and Toothless, who were far ahead by now.

"And the racers round the bend," said Mulch, "and come in for the home stretch of the race!"

"Come on, Hiccup, come on, Hiccup!" Fishlegs cheered.

"Die, Hiccup, die, Hiccup!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut chanted.

"Okay, Toothless," Hiccup said quietly, "let's try the new gear, shall we?"

Toothless growled with determination, and Hiccup changed gears on the dragon's prosthetic.

Toothless slowed for a moment, steadied himself, and then, faster than he had ever flown before, rocketed forward. There was a _boom!_ like a cannon's fire; they had broke the sound barrier.

Toothless barrel rolled for dramatics over their designated finish line.

"TEAM FICCSTRID IS THE WINNER!" announced Mulch.

"Whoo!" Hiccup cheered, throwing his hands in the air above his head; Toothless released a celebratory plasma blast, which exploded, once again, like a purple firework. "Nice job, bud!"

Toothless growled his thanks.

…

"I _still_ don't know how you and Toothless managed to go that fast!" said Snotlout angrily as he, Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, the twins, and their dragons walked across Thor's Beach. Though the competition was over, they had yet to remove their face paint, and the dragons were still hyped and raring to fly.

"Well, Toothless is a Night Fury, Snotlout," said Fishlegs. "The fastest dragon we've ever come across."

"But I've never seen him go _that_ fast!" Snotlout protested. "I don't know how you guys beat me! We're invincible!"

"Clearly you are _not_ ," said Fishlegs, "as we just managed to beat you."

"You cheated!" Snotlout accused. "I'm sure you all cheated!"

"And we would know all about cheating!" said Tuffnut, nodding. "All about it-ouch!" Ruffnut had elbowed him, not harshly, but enough to get his attention. "What'd I do!?" Tuffnut snapped. "What'd I do!?"

"Hey," said Astrid suddenly, raising her hand, straightening her finger in a point. "Is it just me, or is there something on the beach over there?"

The bickering stopped immediately, and the riders each turned their heads to look to where Astrid was pointing.

There was a small clump of black lying on the beach.

"That's weird," said Snotlout.

"Yes it is," said Hiccup, nodding. "Let's go check it out."

He stepped forward, followed closely by Fishlegs, the twins, and Astrid. Snotlout didn't move, dumbfounded, opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

"Wait!" he said. "You don't go towards the mysterious black thing lying on the beach! That's what idiots do!"

"Come on, Snotlout!" Hiccup called.

Snotlout groaned. "I knew I shouldn't have gotten out of bed today," he grumbled, but he hurried forward anyways.


	2. Chapter 2

**ShadowSpirit020: Thanks! :D Yep, a tag-team dragon race. :) Let's see who the boy is...XD**

 **TomBoyBookGirl: Whooo! :D Yep! I can't follow my release dates, like, ever. I really tried for this one, really, I did, but...well...my hand slipped. XD Thanks a bunch! :D I'm glad you're enjoying it so much so far! :)**

 **SilverGhostWolf: I loved writing that dragon race scene. It was so much fun! :D WHOOOO, YOU GOT AN ACCOUNT! :D AWESOME! :D And yeah, even I have yet to see myself follow my release dates. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Dimentional Phaser: Thanks! :D**

 **ForteEXEMaster: Sorry about that. XD I'm OCD on stuff, too. Movie Toothless is a lot faster than Book Toothless, in my opinion, but yeah, they probably weren't going a full-blown 700 miles an hour. I was just trying to get the point across that they were going fast. :D And no, this isn't going to be like Heather Report. It might seem like that once or twice, but overall, the story plays out very differently. :) Thanks! :D**

 **wikelia: Snotlout: "Not another field trip!" XDXDXD THANKS! :D Yeah, I seriously write in all the spare time I have, be it original stuff, or fanfiction stuff. I go back and forth. :D Thanks for the review! :D I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: There is definitely something that says trouble on the beach, that much is for sure...XD**

 **StarFlight13: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy it so far! :D And yeah, I love writing. It gives me something to do while waiting for the next episodes, too. :D**

 **Jo: I'm glad! :D**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Haha, yeah, you guys know I won't wait until the release date to post. XD I bet you guys are like, "Ooh, look, the release date is in a few days...I bet she'll post it tomorrow." XD I'm glad you're enjoying it! :D Yeah, that dragon race scene was fun to write. :) We shall see...RIGHT NOW! :D Thanks! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Thanks! I'm glad! :D**

 **Guest (#1): Here's the next chapter! :D :D :D**

 **Carly Marley: Hey hey hey, good to hear from ya! :D I'm glad you enjoyed the previous fanfiction episodes, and I hope you enjoy this one, too! :D Oh my gosh, that would be crazy, with all the fandoms coming together like that...yeah...insane. XD AND WE CAN SING WHILE WE FIGHT! :D :D :D There will be some Hiccstrid in this fanfiction; nothing over the top, but definitely some. I can, however, for SURE promise you a lot of Hiccstrid in part 2. :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **jrecricket99: Thanks! :D I'm glad! :D**

 **HappyPup1: Haha, Ficcstrid! :D Yeah, I like it, too. :D**

 **bananablight: Yep, I based the face paint off Dawn of the Dragon Racers. :D I'm glad you love it so far! :D**

 **Prince Maggie: Haha, nope, so far, I haven't gotten any complaints at being ahead of myself. XD Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it so far! :D**

 **Charr2003: *banging head against wall* DON'T. BANG. YOUR. HEAD. TOO. HARD. XD XD HAHA! :D And I haven't gotten any complaints on updating early, so, yeah. You can always expect early updates from me, then, I suppose. XD GO FICCSTRID! :D I'm glad you like it so far! :D :D :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Crystallion12: Haha, XD. Yeah, I try to plan, I fail, and I post early. XD That's what always happens with me. :D**

 **midnightsky0612: Thanks! :D**

 **Guest (#2): Aww, you're welcome! :D I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D I always post one to two chapters a day, so yeah, that's my usual updating schedule. :) Aww, thank you! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

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They approached with caution, because it was impossible to know exactly what it was from this distance. It could have been wreckage of an old ship; it could have been a very-much alive dragon that would spring and attack them given the chance.

Toothless, Stormfly, Hookfang, Barf, Belch, and Meatlug, too, approached cautiously, but on guard, claws and talons at the ready, teeth bared should they be threatened. Hiccup was the first of the dragon riders to identify the object.

And he realized it wasn't an "object" at all.

"Guys, it's a person!" he shouted, and he charged over. Now that he knew what it was, he was less cautious as he approached.

"That should _scare_ you!" snapped Snotlout, but he, too, redoubled his pace and raced after Hiccup and the others. "What's a person doing on our shores?"

He didn't get an answer. Hiccup and Astrid knelt by the body and, slowly, grabbed the shoulder and flipped the person over.

It was a young man, probably no older than Hiccup himself was. His hair was shaggy and hung over his ears and eyes, cut unevenly and shockingly black, like the clothing and armor he wore. His eyes were shut, and his face was deathly pale. He had a pointed chin, pronounced ears, and a long nose; an ugly scar marred his forehead.

Hiccup frowned and pressed two fingers against the youth's neck. "His pulse is thready," Hiccup said, "but it's there. I wonder…" He looked down, and his eyes caught on something clutched in the boy's grip.

It was a crumpled letter.

Hiccup pried it from the boy's stiff fingers and looked on the front.

"What does it say?" Snotlout asked.

"It says, 'To Chief Stoick,'" Hiccup said. Frowning, he unfolded the letter and read it to himself, the others trying to lean over his shoulder to get a look at it. But before they could, Hiccup suddenly paled, and he, looking up from the letter, re-folded it hastily and stuffed it away in his pocket.

"What?" Fishlegs asked worriedly. "Ooh, I know that face...what's wrong?"

Hiccup swallowed. "The boy's name is Barreck," Hiccup said. "And...he's Alvin the Treacherous' son."

…

"I didn't know Alvin the Treacherous had a _son_ ," said Gobber later at Gothi's hut, examining the letter; the black-haired boy, Barreck, still unconscious, was laying on one of the sick beds with Gothi examining him.

"Me neither," said Hiccup, folding his arms over his chest. "This doesn't make any sense."

"The letter's hard to make out," said Gobber, holding the letter up to the light. "It must have gotten wet. Everything after _Alvin the Treacherous is my father_ and his name is all smudged…"

"Well, maybe Barreck can explain it when he wakes up," said Astrid. "I don't know why he would lie about it if he wasn't really Alvin's son."

"And he does sort of _look_ like Alvin," said Hiccup pointedly. "Black hair, squared shoulders...I can see the family resemblance."

"Right," said Gobber. "Well, I'll take this note to your father, Hiccup, and see what he can make of it. Maybe he can shed some light on the situation."

"Sounds good," Hiccup said.

…

"Alvin the Treacherous' son?" Stoick looked as confused as the others felt when he joined them at Gothi's hut.

"Do you know him, Dad?" Hiccup asked curiously, extending his hand to take the note back from his father.

Stoick handed the letter back and shook his head. "No, I don't," he said. "This is very peculiar...and you found him on the beach, you said?"

"Yes," said Fishlegs. "Not a ship in sight."

"We thought he might have gotten shipwrecked," said Astrid, "but there wasn't even any wreckage. Nothing to indicate _anything_ at all."

"We did a quick round about the oceanside," Hiccup said, "just to check for any wreckage that could have washed up, but there was nothing."

"You don't think he _swam_ here, do you?" said Tuffnut.

"That'd be a long swim," said Ruffnut.

"We don't even know where he came from," said Hiccup, "much less where he could have _swam_ from."

"We're just going to have to wait until he wakes up," said Astrid.

"Aye, that we shall," said Gobber, nodding. "Can you do anything about that, Gothi?"

Gothi looked at him firmly, and then, she pulled herbs from her medicine bag and waved them beneath Barreck's nose. Instantly, Barreck's eyes flew open, and he shot into a sitting position.

His eyes were a startlingly deep blue, like the ocean, and they were full of panic.

"Where am I?" he questioned, looking around wildly. "Where…?"

"You're on Berk," said Astrid, putting her hand on her hip. "We found you washed up on our beach."

Barreck looked at her. The panic in his eyes dimmed. "Oh, I made it," he whispered in relief, putting a hand to his head. "You have no idea how relieved I am."

He smiled faintly.

"I need your help," he said. "That's why I came here in the first place."

"What with?" questioned Hiccup, almost suspiciously. "And your letter, you said you were Alvin the Treacherous' son."

Barreck nodded. "I am," he said.

"How did we not know this?" said Snotlout, raising and dropping his hands, looking confused and desperate.

"My father didn't speak of me," said Barreck, "to anyone. I was born a hiccup, see, a runt. An insult to the Outcast tribe."

"An outcast of the Outcasts," said Ruffnut. "Now _that's_ just _sad_. Like, _pathetic_ sad."

"It was," said Barreck slowly, "but I survived and eventually left the Outcast tribe with my dear friend. Unfortunately, we ran into trouble."

Barreck pulled a small, brown pack from his pocket and fiddled with the strings tying it shut.

"I didn't know who they were," said Barreck, "but they took my friend and held him captive. They let me go alive, I don't know why, but they gave me this...here...they said 'the Berkians should recognize it.'"

He finally managed to get the pack open, and he dumped its contents into his hand.

It was a cracked but not unidentifiable Dragon Eye lense.

Hiccup and the others gasped. Barreck looked at them, hope and excitement sparkling in his eyes. "You recognize it?" he asked, handing the lense over to Hiccup.

Hiccup took it and examined it. "Yeah," he said, "I do. Barreck, I think you were attacked by the dragon hunters. They've been invading the nearby islands and seas recently in search of unidentified species."

"So you know where I can find my friend!" said Barreck, leaping to his feet. "That's why I came to Berk! I knew my father had made peace with the Berkians, so I came to you first. I need someone to help me get my friend back."

Hiccup and the other dragon riders exchanged glances. Stoick and Gobber, meanwhile, approached Barreck, entirely unaware.

"We'll certainly do whatever we can," said Stoick. "Until then, you are free to remain on Berk for as long as you want."

Barreck bowed his head respectfully. "Thank you, Chief Stoick," he said, and he, Stoick, and Gobber left the healer's abode.

Hiccup watched them leave, and as soon as the door shut, turned back to the other riders. "What do you guys think?" Hiccup asked.

"I don't buy it!" Snotlout said angrily. "I think he's lying to try and manipulate us! A likely story, you know, best friend taken by dragon hunters, son of Alvin the Treacherous...and the hiccup story, that's so cliche it's insane!"

"I'm not so sure what to think," said Fishlegs. "I don't think he was lying."

"Fishlegs has a point," said Astrid. "What's the point of lying about being Alvin's son? His story makes sense. Hiccups were considered to be a shame to their tribe back in the day."

"Well, are they not?" said Snotlout.

Hiccup crossed his arms. " _I'm_ a hiccup," he said.

"I meant way back when they were!" said Snotlout. "During the time of dragon raids, all the tribes took hiccups as a bad omen. The Berserkers especially took the entire 'hiccup' thing very seriously. They thought it was some sort of disease from what I read."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked at him. "I didn't know you could read," said Tuffnut, sounding genuinely shocked.

"And Barreck doesn't look like any other Outcast I've ever seen," said Astrid. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was a hiccup, and I wouldn't be surprised if Alvin shunned him and kept him a secret because of it."

"So...are we trusting him?" said Fishlegs.

"I think we should definitely try to help him," said Hiccup. "The trusting can come later, once we know him a little better." He looked down at the cracked Dragon Eye lense and frowned. "Astrid," he said, "do you remember the little talk we had about eventually plotting against Viggo, and take the Dragon Eye back for ourselves?"

"Yeah," said Astrid, nodding, "you said that a while ago." It took her a moment, but then, she caught on, and she frowned. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

"Wait, what?" said Tuffnut. "What is he thinking? Can Astrid read minds now? Why does everyone else get to do all the cool stuff?"

"She thought a thought," said Ruffnut logically, "but the thought she thought was not the thought she thought she thought."

"Wait, what?" said Tuffnut again.

"Hiccup, if you're thinking of going back to Ryker's base and trying to take back the Dragon Eye," said Fishlegs, "I'd have to say it's probably one of your crazier ideas."

"And that's saying a lot," said Snotlout, "considering all the crazy things you've thought up."

"Well, we have to try," said Hiccup. "Barreck said he and his friend were taken, and the hunters let him alone go. Maybe Barreck got a glimpse of the dragon hunter's fleet. Maybe he can tell us what to expect."

"And we can go in," said Astrid, catching on, "free Barreck's friend, and take back the Dragon Eye at the same time."

"Exactly," said Hiccup. "But this means we're going to have to devise a plan. If we're really going to do this, we're going to have to create a fool-proof scheme, something Ryker and his hunters can never suspect."

"But they're powerless without Viggo," said Snotlout. "What are we worrying about?"

"They still have Ryker," said Hiccup, "and on top of that, they have an army. We haven't seen any sign of Dagur since Ryker captured him. Who knows where the Berserkers went off to. Maybe they rejoined the dragon hunters."

"Hiccup just means we have to be prepared," said Astrid. "We have to take everything into consideration. We need to build maps, concoct plans, everything, if we have a chance at getting this right."

"And the plan has to be something no one will expect," said Hiccup. "It has to be something…"

"Diabolical?" said Ruffnut and Tuffnut hopefully. "Inane? Stupid? Insane? Maniacal? Crazy?"

Hiccup smiled. "Works for me," he said.

"And what about Barreck?" Snotlout piped up.

"He can come with us," said Hiccup. "We need to know everything we can about the dragon hunters, and if Barreck can help us, I'll take it. Pack your things, gang. We leave for Dragon's Edge at daybreak."

"Yes!" cheered the twins, and they gave each other a high-five.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this chapter's shorter than the last one, guys. I had a migraine last night and couldn't do much writing. :( But here's chapter 3! :D And this time, I _did_ manage to do shout-outs! :D Shout-outs: **

**Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yeah...it's going to be a rude awakening for everyone when they find out about Viggo. The coin has been flipped...now let's see which side it lands on. ;)**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Here comes Hiccup's crazy scheme...and yeah, Alvin's son. Threw a curve at ya, did I? XD**

 **LunarCatNinja: Yeah...let's see what happens! :D**

 **DragonQueen3721: Yeah, I don't think Alvin will be a villain in this fanfiction series. But maybe I can write another fanfiction in which Alvin returns as the villain. I always thought he changed to the good side too quickly. :)**

 **TomBoyBookGirl: Hahaha! Yeah, Alvin's son...I fell out of my chair when I figured out who Alvin's son was in the books (I will refrain from saying his name because spoilers to those who haven't read it :D). But yeah. Unfortunately, this is not the book!verse. :D :D :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **bananablight: Haha, thanks! :D I'm glad you like it so far! :D**

 **Guest (#1): Sorry I didn't get this out before 5:00! I had a migraine yesterday evening, couldn't sleep well, and woke up later. :( But I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

 **wikelia: Let's see...to trust Barreck, or not to trust Barreck, that is the question? XD Let's see what happens! :D**

 **SilverGhostWolf: I wish we could leap into the story and knock some sense into the main characters sometimes. XD Aww, thank you! :D I'm glad you enjoy them! :D**

 **MaximumRide159: Thanks! :D I'm glad you like it so far! :) And there might be a few mentions of Inferno, but no, I don't think I'm going to show the actual making of it. :)**

 **AquaticDragon: Whooo, updates! :D Thanks! :D**

 **Crystallion12: Oooooooh, suspense! :D So many questions and not enough answers...thanks for the review! :D**

 **SnivyDragon: I think Hiccup is kinda like Jack Sparrow sometimes: "You're crazy!" "Good thing, too, or this would probably never work." XD Yeah, Hiccup is insane, but his plans actually work, which is really funny. XD Yeah, I like Barreck. ;) But like you said: you can't trust anyone, least of all me. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D :D :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Forever Me: Is it a bluff...or a double bluff...or a TRIPPLE bluff...nobody knows...it'll be pretty obvious which side Barreck is on pretty soon, but until then, I'll leave you forever in suspense. :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Charr2003: Hahahaha, reading everyone's reactions to Alvin's son is hilarious. XD And the twins are always equally hilarious! :D :D :D Yeah, Barreck is pretty cool...let's see what happens next! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **HappyPup1: VERY interesting. :D Thanks! :D**

 **bella: Yep, I posted early! :D Snotlout's just mean because he's jealous. XD Barreck is a bit suspicious, but let's see what happens! :D And the twins are amazing. I love the twins. :D :D :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Guest (#2): Yep. Bad feeling. Let's see what happens next. :D**

* * *

"...Snotlout's welcomed you to stay at his hut, from what I understand," Hiccup said, walking alongside Barreck with Astrid, Fishlegs, the twins, and Snotlout walking behind him, through the village plaza. Their dragons were Thor-knows-where, probably relaxing after the long race of earlier that morning.

"I appreciate and accept the offer, Snotlout," said Barreck, nodding in Snotlout's direction and reaching to shake Snotlout's hand. "Thank you...all of you, for your hospitality."

"Wait," said Tuffnut, "are we being _hospitable?_ We didn't mean it, honest!"

"It's a good thing, Tuffnut," said Hiccup, almost silently. "So, anyways, my dad said we're welcome to show you around if you're interested."

Barreck nodded eagerly, and the gang led him on. Barreck instantly pointed towards the gigantic bubble-wand like rings, now being hoisted to the ground to remain there until the next dragon race. "What are those?" he asked.

"Those are the rings," said Fishlegs. "We use them in dragon races every now and then. They're a good experience for both rider and dragon, as it takes a rider to direct and a dragon to steer himself or herself."

"It sounds brilliant," said Barreck. "I would like to compete in a race someday."

"Well, we'll gladly welcome you on team Snotnuts," said Snotlout proudly. "We're normally pretty undefeatable…" He caught Astrid's glare. "I said _normally!_ What more do you want from me?"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "So, Barreck," she said, "how did you get to Berk?"

"Oh," said Barreck, "as soon as the dragon hunters released me, I managed to make it here through...well, different things. I began with a rowboat, but then that was demolished and reduced to driftwood. I swam the last of the distance onto your shores, and I'm glad I got here when I did. Another few minutes and I would have drowned."

"Well, we're glad you're here, Barreck," Hiccup said, "and feel free to stay as long as you like."

"I'm afraid it won't be very long," said Barreck, suddenly downcast. "Tomorrow, I head out to search for my friend on the dragon hunter's base. I will not leave him to die at the hands of those murders."

"Who is this friend of yours?" Astrid questioned.

"He was an Outcast," said Barreck. "The only Outcast who didn't treat me as a hiccup, but as an equal. He ran away with me and stood by my side...he would call me Blade, and I would call him Snare. Nicknames we came up with on the run." He sighed. "I hope they haven't done anything to him."

"They gave you the Dragon Eye lense and told us we knew what it was for a reason," said Hiccup. "My guess is they're trying to lure us into a trap."

Barreck sighed heavily again. "In which case," he said, "I should leave tomorrow, alone. I cannot put your lives in danger."

"But we're going back there anyway," Hiccup said, "and we're going to help you get your friend back."

Barreck looked at him with his wide blue eyes, shocked; his shaggy black hair fell in his face. "You would do that?" he asked. "But...but I'm a complete stranger to you. You didn't even know I existed until recent."

"Nope," said Hiccup, "we didn't."

"But that doesn't mean we're not going to help you," said Fishlegs. "Ryker and his dragon hunters are vicious. They have to be stopped before it's too late."

Barreck beamed at them. "So you will help me?" he said.

"Definitely," said Hiccup.

"Thank you," said Barreck honestly. "I cannot thank you enough."

"Great!" said Hiccup. "We're leaving tomorrow at daybreak. I'll let my dad know we're taking you to our base outside the archipelago, and we'll be off."

…

Snotlout and Barreck stepped inside the Jorgenson house, Snotlout in the lead, showing Barreck the way. "Well, anyways," Snotlout was saying as he walked into the house, "my dad's off doing some work for his cousin on Meathead Island, so we won't be seeing him for a few days...anyways, this door leads to my room…" He pulled open one door. "And this one leads to Hookfang's stable."

He pulled open another door. Hookfang's stable appeared entirely black in this light.

"Nice," said Barreck. "Do all the dragons have stables?"

"Eh, most of them," said Snotlout, shrugging. "The only one I can think of off the top of my head who doesn't is Toothless. But anyways, moving on…"

He stepped down a hallway, towards another door, which he threw open. "And this is the weapon room," said Snotlout proudly. "We Jorgensons pride ourselves in the art of weaponry."

Indeed, that did seem to be the case. The walls were lined with gleaming axes and swords of all kinds; maces with chains strung between the spiked ball and handle were hanging on a hook. An archer's bow and quiver of arrows laid in the corner, both leaning up against the wall. The Jorgenson's Ceremonial Axe was wrapped in purple linen in the corner.

"Wow," said Barreck, looking around, awed. "This is incredible." He made to step inside, stopping at the last second. "May I?" he asked Snotlout.

"Be my guest," said Snotlout, spreading his hands grandly. Barreck stepped inside, and Snotlout followed closely. "You looked a little light on weapons," said Snotlout, "so I figured, if you wanted to take one, you could go right ahead."

"You sure?" said Barreck, withdrawing his hand from where he had been reaching out to touch the blade of a nearby sword. "Your father won't resent me if I do?"

"My father resents just about everybody," said Snotlout. "And anyways, he won't even notice it's gone. I'll have the village blacksmith cook up another before my dad returns and we should be fine."

Barreck smiled. "Thanks, Snotlout," he said. "You know, my father spoke highly of the Jorgenson house, back when I was on Outcast island."

Snotlout's brow furrowed in confusion. "Alvin the Treacherous talked about _my_ family?" he said in shock.

"Of course he did!" said Barreck. "He honors the Jorgensons! He thinks they're the proudest house there is on Berk."

For a few moments, Snotlout said nothing. But then, he smiled and nodded. "I knew it," he said. "Yeah, we Jorgensons are pretty cool, after all. We're tough, mean, and the ladies totally like us."

"I don't doubt it," said Barreck. "But of course…" He frowned slightly as he pulled a sword from the wall, and sighed. "There are those who would say otherwise," he said.

Snotlout's pride instantly turned to fury. "What? Who?" he demanded.

"Oh, no one!" said Barreck defensively. "No one at all! Never mind, I shouldn't have said anything...I mean, I doubt Fishlegs meant what he said…"

"What?" said Snotlout. "What did Fishlegs say?"

"Did I say Fishlegs said something?" said Barreck. "No, I didn't."

Snotlout sighed heavily. "Look," he said, "I get that you're trying to stop a fight but honestly, if my friends are saying stuff about me behind my back, I want to know."

Barreck sighed heavily. "Well," he said, "it wasn't much, just something about you being hopeless and a burden to the rest of the riders...really though, I probably misheard him. Why would Fishlegs say something like that? He's your friend."

Snotlout looked at the ground, looking a mix of confused and hurt. "Yeah, right…" he said. "Why would he?"

Barreck shrugged. "Well, you don't have to worry about that," said Barreck. "I'm sure the dragon riders could not thrive without a strong, powerful Jorgenson to back them up."

"Yeah…" said Snotlout, but his confidence was gone. Sure, he and Fishlegs insulted each other all the time, but that was when they were goofing off, and both of them knew neither of them meant it. But now it seemed that Fishlegs didn't actually think highly of Snotlout at all.

He wasn't quite sure what to say.

"I'm going to step outside for a moment," said Barreck, gesturing towards the door, "and try out the sword. Do you mind?"

"What? Oh, no, I don't," said Snotlout, shaking his head. "Yeah, try it out, let me know what you think...I'll show you to your bed when you get back."

"Thank you kindly, Snotlout," said Barreck, and with a small bow of his head, he turned and headed out the door. Snotlout, meanwhile, stayed behind, for a moment doing nothing but staring into the weapon room.

Then, he slammed it shut angrily and crossed his arms over his chest, stomping across the room.

"Stupid Fishlegs," he grumbled. "He thinks I'm a burden to the dragon riders, huh? Well, I'll show him who the _real_ burden is. I'll show him."

Hookfang, who had been sleeping in the center of the living room, looked up at Snotlout curiously. Snotlout looked back to him and nodded.

"Come on, Hookfang," he said. "I have an errand to run."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! :D I see I created some diversity here in this story, didn't I? And amongst the reviewers, too! Everyone is trying to figure out the golden question: Is Barreck who he says he is, or is he evil? What do you guys think? :) Shout-outs:**

 **StarFlight13: We'll have to see what happens! :D No spoilers! :D Yeah, so many questions and so little answered...thanks for the review! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: People like Barreck...can't trust 'em. :D And all the riders are completely clueless. Let's see what goes down. ;)**

 **Dimensional Girl: No spoilers yet. :) And yeah, Viggo knows that "a house divided against itself cannot stand." :)**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Yeah...something isn't right...:)**

 **HappyPup1: No, Snotlout! D:**

 **bella: Yeah, Barreck...not liking him so much anymore. :)**

 **Guest (#1): Sounds about right. :)**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: He's definitely up to SOMETHING, but what that SOMETHING is remains to be seen. :)**

 **SilverGhostWolf: Barreck! Yeah, no one likes him anymore. The instant someone tries to cause diversion between good friends is the instant readers stop liking them. :) And yeah, the migraines stink, but usually I can just sleep them off, which is nice. :) Thanks for the review! :)**

 **Forever Me: Yep! We love the traitors because they make Whump, and we also hate the traitors because, well, they're traitors! XD Thanks for the review! :)**

 **Charr2003: Nope, can't trust Barreck. HE IS CREATING DIVERSITY. DESTROY HIM. But unfortunately, we cannot destroy him ourselves. :( Let's see what Hiccup and the gang come up with! Maybe they'll figure it out before Barreck does something drastic! :D And you can definitely PM me and let me know who you think Barreck is! :D I want to hear what you think. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **SnivyDragon: Who knows! Hunches can be right. :D And yeah, Meathead Island...I remember my reaction when I found out the voice actor who played Spitelout. I was like, "OMGOSH WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!" Needless to say, I went back and watched all of Spitelout's scenes just to hear the voice. XD Hiccup's this insane genius who is so crazy that his genius plans always work. :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Gamer Spice: Yeah, I kinda feel bad for Snotlout...and now of course Snotlout's going to be giving Fishlegs a hard time...I think Hiccup and Astrid can handle themselves, though. Let's see how it ends. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **midnightsky0612: Everyone thinks Barreck is suspicious now. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **AquaticDragon: We'll just have to see which side Barreck is actually on! :D Thanks for the review!**

 **Kaida1909: Barreck was intended to be a very dodgy character; you don't exactly know what his plan is until it's too late. But I can promise you that this story will play out much differently than Heather Report did, especially in Part 2. Part 2 is when this story really gets interesting. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Jo: Yep, something strange is DEFINITELY going on here. :)**

* * *

Barreck headed away from Snotlout's house, the sword still clutched in his grip. He headed towards the nearest tree, raised the sword, and poised it to strike, but at the last minute, a voice from behind made him stop.

"Hey, Barreck!" the voice of Tuffnut called, and Barreck turned around. Tuffnut was standing there, alone. "What are you doing? Going to go kill something? I can help you."

"That's quite alright, Tuffnut," said Barreck, smiling. "No killing tonight. Snotlout presented me with this sword, and I have come to test it out."

"Oh, cool," said Tuffnut, "but you know, Thorston weapons are better than Jorgenson weapons. We can fix you up if you want us to."

"I'll consider it," said Barreck. "Where is Ruffnut? I cannot recall seeing you without her so far."

"Oh, she's taken our dragon to go get dinner," said Tuffnut. "We sort of have to take turns doing it every night. It's annoying."

"I'm sure it is," said Barreck. "I've always heard the Thorstons were a proud, strong house."

"Oh, we are!" said Tuffnut, nodding eagerly. "Very strong house! We would know, we've tried to blow it up more than once, and when stuff can get through the explosions, you _know_ it's good."

"Right," said Barreck. "You sound like you know a lot, Tuffnut."

"I _sound_ like it," said Tuffnut, shrugging. "I don't actually know anything."

"Well, you _sound_ it for sure," said Barreck. "I've heard everyone thinks you are a total loser."

Tuffnut's head snapped up. "Well, they're probably right," he said, "but just for sake of argument, who told you that?"

"Oh, no one in particular," said Barreck, shrugging. "I think I heard Ruffnut say something about it to Snotlout earlier...ah, I was probably just hearing wrong. Ruffnut's your sister, isn't she? And Snotlout's your friend."

"Right," said Tuffnut uncertainly. "And what did Snotlout say to the 'I'm a total loser'?"

"Oh, he agreed," said Barreck, "but I must have heard them wrong. I would not worry, Tuffnut. I'm sure your friends think very highly of you."

He looked down at the sword briefly, looked back up, and nodded. "I must be heading back," he said. "It was nice talking to you, Tuffnut."

"Yeah, nice," said Tuffnut.

"Good night," said Barreck, and he headed off.

Tuffnut stood there for a few moments, watching him leave. Sure, he _himself_ knew he was a total loser, but to hear that Ruffnut and Snotlout thought the same kind of hurt.

"Hey, bro!" Ruffnut shouted from behind, and she approached, Barf and Belch walking behind her in her wake. "What're you doing out here? Something awesome?"

Tuffnut didn't answer. He pushed past her and walked away, head lowered. Ruffnut watched him leave, confused. He didn't even say hello to Barf and Belch.

"Tuffnut?" Ruffnut said quietly.

…

Hiccup and Astrid were waiting on Thor's Beach, where they had planned to meet the day before. Astrid was tapping her foot impatiently, her axe slung over her shoulder, and Hiccup kept looking at the sky, waiting (also impatiently).

"I don't understand," he said finally, turning to face Astrid. Stormfly and Toothless were standing behind their riders, looking equally impatient. "This was where we planned to meet, right?"

"Maybe they slept in," Astrid shrugged.

"All of them?" said Hiccup. "I seriously doubt that. Fishlegs is never late. I can understand Snotlout or the twins, but not Fishlegs."

There was a roar from above, and Hookfang soared downwards, Snotlout and Barreck mounted on his back. The two riders dismounted, and Astrid and Hiccup approached them.

"You're late," Astrid said, strapping her axe to her back to cross her arms.

Snotlout shrugged. "A Jorgenson is never late," he said proudly.

Astrid grimaced. "I hope you don't start saying that on a regular basis," she said. "It'd be a mockery to your character."

"Ha ha," Snotlout rolled his eyes, "very funny."

"Have you guys seen the other riders by any chance?" Hiccup asked. "They were supposed to be here an hour ago."

"Well, you can't exactly expect the twins to show up on time," said Snotlout, "and who knows. Maybe Fishface decided he's too good enough for us and went by himself."

Astrid and Hiccup stared at him.

"Snotlout," said Hiccup, "you do realize that Fishlegs is scared to death by just about everything. Nothing could drive him to go without us."

"Why would you say something like that, Snotlout?" said Astrid suspiciously.

"No reason," grumbled Snotlout. "But if he doesn't show up, we should go ahead and leave without him."

Just at that moment, Meatlug and Fishlegs arrived. Meatlug dropped to the ground, sank slightly into the sand, and Fishlegs hastily dismounted.

"Hiccup!" he said. "Thor, I'm sorry! I'm so late!"

"It's fine, Fishlegs," said Hiccup. Snotlout groaned and turned away, pretending to be busy straightening Hookfang's saddle.

"I don't know how it happened!" said Fishlegs. "Someone dumped a bucket of eels into Meatlug's stable! It took hours to finally calm her down enough to do anything!"

"Well, that's not your fault, Fishlegs," said Hiccup. "I wonder…" He looked at Snotlout suspiciously, but didn't elaborate.

"Maybe the twins did it," said Astrid, shrugging. "They're not here yet, either."

And instantly, Ruffnut charged forward out of seemingly nowhere, stumbling over her feet in the sand. Finally, just as she neared them, she face-planted the ground and dragged herself the rest of the way.

"What in Thor's name, Ruffnut?" said Snotlout angrily.

Ruffnut stood up, spitting sand out of her mouth. "You guys have got to help me!" she said urgently. "Tuffnut won't talk to me at all!"

"Are you sure he didn't just take another vow of silence, Ruffnut?" Fishlegs asked. "Last time he did it, he didn't talk for a month."

"No, this is different!" Ruffnut insisted. "He won't even look at me! He acts like I'm not even there! He won't fly Barf and Belch with me, and no matter what I said, he wouldn't help me blow up _anything!_ Not even Snotlout's hut!"

"Hey!" said Snotlout crossly.

"Are you sure-" Fishlegs began.

"Whatever you're about to say," said Ruffnut, "I've already thought about it! I've never seen Tuffnut act like this before, and that's saying something, since I've been stuck with him my whole life! I don't know what to do!"

"Why don't we ask oh-so-intellectual Fishlegs?" Snotlout growled.

"I'm sorry…?" said Fishlegs, sounding as confused as everyone else was.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Snotlout, "I thought you knew. Sorry, excuse me for asking."

Fishlegs looked at Hiccup. "What happened?" he said.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Hiccup said.

"But what about Tuffnut?" said Ruffnut desperately. "Please! I'm nothing without my brother!"

As if on cue, Tuffnut and Barf and Belch arrived, walking towards them through the sand. Tuffnut appeared to be sulking.

"Sorry, late," he muttered. "Are we leaving or not?"

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged glances. Whatever was wrong with the others, they didn't have a clue as to what it was.

But at the rate Snotlout wouldn't look at Fishlegs, and Tuffnut wouldn't look at Ruffnut, they weren't going to get very far without another argument.

"Yes," Hiccup finally said, "we're leaving."

" _All_ of us?" said Snotlout angrily, crossing his arms, glaring at Fishlegs.

"Yes," said Astrid with a sharp edge to her voice, " _all_ of us."

"I'm not going if Fishface is going!" said Snotlout furiously. "Slowest dragon, showed up an hour late to the meeting place...he'll just slow us down!"

" _Where_ is all of this _coming from?"_ Hiccup asked helplessly, throwing his hands into the air.

"Oh, I don't know," said Snotlout, "why don't you ask Fishlegs?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Fishlegs said pleadingly. "Honestly!"

"If you don't want to come with us, Snotlout," Hiccup said, "that's your decision. But we _are_ a team. Remember that."

Snotlout looked ready to protest, but he didn't. "Fine," he grumbled angrily. "Just don't expect me to listen to him."

Fishlegs looked at Hiccup helplessly, and Hiccup looked back at him, equally helpless. Barreck mounted Hookfang behind Snotlout, and the twins, Tuffnut still sulking and not looking at Ruffnut at all, mounted their dragons as well. Ruffnut looked at Tuffnut sadly, and when he didn't look back at her, averted her gaze.

"This is weird," said Astrid to Hiccup as she and he mounted their dragons.

"I know, it is," Hiccup agreed. "They always fight, but never like this. This is...not good."

"What do you think happened between them?"

"I haven't the slightest idea."


	5. Chapter 5

**Heeeeelllllloooooooo! :D :D :D Hey guys! :D How've you been? :) So, unfortunately, I won't be able to do shout-outs this chapter, but NEXT CHAPTER, I promise I will! :D You all seem to be enjoying this story so much, and that makes me happy. :)**

 **So, guys, I think I'm going to change the plotline of "Teach a Man to Fish" (see my profile for current summary). I've looked back at the stories I've done, and I realized that I did one focusing around Hiccup and Astrid, Hiccup and Ryker, Hiccup and Toothless, Hiccup and the gang, and so on and so forth, but I haven't done anything centering around Hiccup and Stoick.**

 **(Okay, okay, so there was a lot of father/son bonding in "Tooth and Claw", but I mean an entire episode focused around Hiccup and Stoick).**

 **And since I really want an episode in future Race to the Edge seasons that focuses on father/son bonding, it made me want to write my own take on a father/son episode.**

 **So, let me know what you think I should do! Should "Teach a Man to Fish" focus around the gang, or Hiccup and Stoick? Let me know what you think, and I'll see you all next chapter! :D Love you! :D**

* * *

The flight to Dragon's Edge was eerily quiet for the most part. Occasionally, Snotlout and Barreck would share a short conversation, and Fishlegs would try to enter in, but the moment he did, Snotlout shut himself up and refused to talk at all. When either Snotlout or Ruffnut tried to talk to Tuffnut, Tuffnut would ignore them; however, he did talk quite a bit more to Fishlegs, which was odd. Astrid and Hiccup, leading the group of sulking, fighting riders, remained silent, occasionally glancing over at each other with the same question played on their faces:

 _What in Thor's name was wrong with their friends?_

"Dragon's Edge!" Hiccup called when the dragons broke through the clouds and shot downwards, towards their base. The black Night Terrors soared upwards to meet the other riders, flurrying around them like gigantic black snowflakes.

"Night Terrors?" said Barreck, reaching his hand out towards one of them; the Night Terror nuzzled him and swooped back towards the ground. "Incredible, aren't they?"

"They are indeed," said Hiccup, and the dragons shot onwards. Hookfang, Stormfly, Meatlug, Toothless, and Barf and Belch landed on the platform in front of the Clubhouse, and the riders dismounted. Instantly, Tuffnut turned and stomped away from Ruffnut, who followed him helplessly, and Snotlout stormed away from Fishlegs, equally angrily.

"I don't understand," Fishlegs said, "why would Snotlout be angry with me? I didn't do anything."

"I know you didn't, Fishlegs," said Hiccup, "but...I don't know…"

They missed Barreck's small smirk.

…

Astrid threw her axe at a target in the training arena, and the axe embedded perfectly in the center of the target. Stormfly, who was watching nearby, chirped in congratulations.

"Thanks, Stormfly," said Astrid, hurrying forward, grabbing her axe handle, and yanking it back towards her. "Throw the target for me, would you, girl?"

Stormfly growled her agreement and leapt into the arena. She grabbed the nearest target in her white teeth and waited for Astrid to take aim. As soon as Astrid raised her axe, poising to throw it, Stormfly twisted her neck and threw the target straight across the arena.

Astrid took aim, paused for just a moment, and threw the axe. The target was slammed against the ground, Astrid's axe protruding from its center.

"Yes!" Astrid cheered, heading over. With one foot keeping the target on the ground, she yanked her axe from the wood and slung it over her shoulder.

Barreck was watching her progress from above, right outside fhe arena, and after a moment of contrmplation, he leapt down into it. Astrid whirled around to see who had arrived.

"Hello, Astrid," said Barreck.

"Hello, Barreck," said Astrid. "Stormfly and I were just touching up some moves. We're going to be at our best if we want to plan an attack on the dragon hunter base."

"Agreed," said Barreck, nodding. "You have very good form, Astrid. How long have you practiced with an axe?"

"Since I was little," said Astrid casually.

"Well, it definitely shows," said Barreck, nodding. "I'm sure you can hit anything you aim at, even with your eyes closed."

Astrid turned to him, frowning. "What do you want?" she finally asked. "Why are you here?"

"I am simply finding my way around," said Barreck, "taking a tour. I heard you shouting commands to your dragon and was intrigued."

"Alright," said Astrid. "We're planning on attacking Ryker's base within the week. If we can formulate a plan in time, of course."

"Of course," said Barreck in agreement. "I have no doubt that you will."

Astrid raised her axe again, aiming for another target on the wall. The sun caught on the amber charm of Astrid's necklace, and Bareck looked at it, silently pondering.

"Your necklace is very beautiful," he said, nodding towards it, just as Astrid was about to release the axe. Astrid paused in her mid-throw and looked down at the necklace strung around her neck.

"Oh...thanks," she said. "Hiccup made it for me a few months ago as a promise." She threw the axe, embedding it in a target nearby. "A promise that he'd always be there for me."

"You and Hiccup are...close, are you not?" said Barreck.

"Well...yes, we are," said Astrid, turning and yanking her weapon from the target it was embedded in. "What does it matter to you?"

"Well," said Barreck, "relationships in your line of work can be dangerous, Astrid."

"Oh, right," said Astrid, nodding. "Sure. Listen, Barreck, you seem like a nice guy, and I'm sure you're only trying to help, but honestly, it's none of your business."

"I am only stating the obvious," said Barreck. "You cannot deny the danger that comes with having someone close to you within enemy reach."

Astrid thought back. A million things shot through her mind; all the dangers she and the others went through for the sake of each other. "I know you're trying to help," said Astrid, "and I know you're probably only telling me this, because your best friend was just taken by the dragon hunters…"

Barreck looked down.

"...but I'll make sure we're careful," said Astrid.

"You do that," said Barreck, nodding. "I am glad we had this chat, Astrid. I shall see you soon."

And he turned and left, just like that. Astrid slipped her axe into its sheath strapped to her back, watching him leave with slight confusion.

"Okay," she said, "that was kinda...weird."

Stormfly stepped up behind her, a target in her mouth, growling in agreement.

"Come on," said Astrid, taking the target from her dragon's mouth and casting it aside before mounting her. "To the Clubhouse!"

Stormfly spread her wings and launched herself into the clear blue sky, flying towards her assigned destination.

…

"It doesn't make any sense," Fishlegs fretted, pacing the floor of the Clubhouse. "I don't know why Snotlout would be mad at me. I can't think of anything I did to make him angry with me…"

Hiccup, sitting at the round table in the center of the Clubhouse, looked up from his book. "Fishlegs."

"I mean," said Fishlegs, "we joke around and shove each other all the time, and it's never bothered Snotlout before! I'm not treating him in a new way, or anything!"

"Fishlegs-"

"Maybe he's decided he hates me! What can I do to that? I didn't do anything wrong!"

"FISHLEGS!" Hiccup finally shouted, and Fishlegs stopped pacing.

"What!?" Fishlegs cried.

Hiccup nodded. "The floor," he said.

Fishlegs looked down; the wooden floorboard he had been pacing on was nearly cracked. "Oh," he said quietly, and instantly stepped off the board.

"Look, Fishlegs," said Hiccup, shutting his book and setting it on the table, "if you want to pace, you can go to the lake. We need a moat dug there, anyway."

"This isn't funny, Hiccup!" Fishlegs said desperately. He dropped himself into the chair across from where Hiccup was sitting and put his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do!"

"I know, Fishlegs," Hiccup said, folding his hands, "but honestly, it's impossible to know just what in Thor's name's going through Snotlout's mind. I'm sure he's just upset about something else and is taking it out on you."

"Are you sure?" Fishlegs asked uncertainly, raising his head. "He seemed pretty mad…"

"I can talk to him later if you're worried about it," said Hiccup, "but honestly, I don't think you need to worry about it. Snotlout's just kind of...a loose canon, if you ask me. I would know. He's my cousin, after all."

"Right…" said Fishlegs. "Right, you're right...you usually are…"

"Always a tone of surprise."

"Well, thanks, Hiccup," said Fishlegs, standing. "It makes me feel a little better."

"Yeah, you bet," said Hiccup, "and I'll talk to Snotlout later anyways. I'm as shocked by him right now as you are."

"Thank you," said Fishlegs. "Well, I'm going to go make sure the Night Terrors are still patrolling, and I'll see you later!"

He hurried towards the door, nearly crashing into Astrid on his way out. "Oh, sorry, Astrid!" he said quickly, and he headed out of the Clubhouse.

"Astrid!" Hiccup called. "How'd the training go?"

"Uneventful," said Astrid. "Hiccup, I need to talk to you."

"Sure," said Hiccup. "What about?"

Astrid took in a deep breath and sat down on the chair Fishlegs had occupied moments before. "It's about Barreck," she said.

Hiccup frowned. "Barreck," he repeated.

"Yes, Barreck," said Astrid. "He was showing himself around the Edge earlier. He came to the arena when Stormfly and I were practicing."

"Sounds okay so far," said Hiccup. "Keep going."

"He didn't exactly do anything _wrong_ ," said Astrid. "He was just talking... _weird_. And the look in his eyes was just...Hiccup, I don't think we should trust him," she finally said. "His story about being Alvin's son, I mean...it's not exactly believable. Even _Stoick_ said he didn't know Alvin had a son, and Stoick knew Alvin his whole life."

"It's definitely a likely story," said Hiccup, "but I don't understand why he would lie about it. I'm with you, Astrid, and I don't think we should trust anyone blindly, but...it's hard to say at this point."

Astrid sighed. "I know," she said, "but I'm just worried...remember Heather? Back when she was working with the Outcasts, back when they were still our enemies? It nearly cost us our lives when we didn't keep a better eye on her."

"Which is why," said Hiccup, "we're _not_ going to _not_ keep a better eye on Barrack.

"So, what are we going to do?" said Astrid.

"We'll watch him," said Hiccup. "If it looks like he's trying to betray us, we'll have to take it from there. But if it doesn't, and he proves loyal, well, who knows."

Astrid nodded and rose from her seat. "Alright," she said, "that sounds like a plan. Thanks for listening."

"No problem," said Hiccup.

"And speaking of plans," said Astrid, "how's the attack on the dragon hunter's base coming?"

At this, Hiccup groaned and dropped his head against the table. "My brain is fried," he said. "I've managed to get part of a map of their base charted down, but I'm not so sure where to go from there. We've never actually seen Ryker's prison cells. We have no idea where he's keeping the Dragon Eye, or Barreck's friend."

"You'll think of something, Hiccup," said Astrid. "You always do. And of course, you have me if you ever need any help."

Hiccup lifted his head and smiled faintly at her. "Thanks," he said. "I'm sure we'll think of something."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! TWO updates today! :D Yay! :D If you're lucky, and if I don't get a migraine today, I think I'll post a third chapter, too...y'know, for cliffhanger's sake. XD XD XD Seriously though, I love you guys. ;) Shout-outs:**

 **Animals Rule: Good ideas! :D I might use them in the future! :D**

 **CoverGirl7210: Thanks! :D Yeah, I think I'm going to write a Hiccup/Stoick story. :) And you make a valid point! :) I thought about that a lot while writing this piece, actually, and this is my conclusion: Hiccup wouldn't go to Alvin about Barreck because Barreck had run away. Barreck didn't and wouldn't go back to his father even if Hiccup tried to make him. And since Barreck is a hiccup, it makes sense why Alvin would shun him. And Hiccup is also focused on getting the Dragon Eye, and saving Barreck's friend before it's too late. So, that's my answer. :D You had a very good question! :D Thanks! :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: Yes he did! :D Go Hiccstrid! :D**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Yep! Ain't no one get through Hiccup like that. Least of all Barreck. Let's see how this goes down! :D :D :D And I think I'll do that; have Hiccup and Stoick main and then a subplot of Astrid and the gang doing something else. :) Sounds good to me! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Guest (#1): You shall learn...sooooooon. :D**

 **SilverGhostWolf: I love father/son bonding. I wish there was more of it in RttE. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **RiderOfNight: Great idea! :D I think I should definitely do more one-shots (or two-shots) centering around what-ifs for RttE episodes! :D I saw your review on "Ouch!", and I think I should definitely write some! :D Like in the episode with the Skrill, what if Hiccup was shot, or in "Snow Way Out", what if Heather didn't throw off the archer...brilliant ideas! :D I should write more Ouch! one-shots centering around those. :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Yeah, Astrid knows something isn't right. Go Astrid! :D**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yep, Astrid knows better than to let Barreck trick her. Now Barreck's gotten her suspicious. :D**

 **Guest (#2): Thanks! :D**

 **wikelia: AIN'T NO ONE BREAK UP HICCSTRID. AIN'T NO ONE. :D**

 **HappyPup1: This won't be like "Heather Report" at all, I promise. ;)**

* * *

"FISHLEGS!" Snotlout shouted angrily, storming into Fishlegs' hut. "FISHLEGS, I'D LIKE TO HAVE A WORD WITH YOU!"

Fishlegs, quickly, raced into the room. Snotlout was standing there with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Fishlegs looked at him, clearly confused. "What, Snotlout?" Fishlegs asked.

"You!" snapped Snotlout angrily, jabbing a finger in Fishlegs' face. "You stole my favorite axe!"

"What? No I didn't!" Fishlegs protested, stepping backwards, away from Snotlout's outstretched, accusing finger. "Why would I take your axe?"

"Oh, I don't know," said Snotlout sarcastically, withdrawing his finger to twirl around his head, "maybe because you want to prove just how much of a burden you think I am! You want the other riders to somehow think I'm not good enough for them! You're trying to make them kick me off the team!"

Meatlug, who had been sleeping, jarred awake, and she lumbered towards Fishlegs, standing at his side protectively. Fishlegs looked to her, and then back to Snotlout.

"I would never do that!" said Fishlegs, feeling torn between hurt and offended, because he honestly didn't know what he could have done to make Snotlout so angry in the first place.. "I'm your friend, Snotlout!"

"You _were_ my friend," growled Snotlout.

It was perfect timing; Astrid and Hiccup ran through the door, their dragons hot on their heels. Snotlout and Fishlegs looked to them as they entered, and both of them looked relieved for different reasons.

"Hiccup!" said Snotlout, and he pointed his accusing finger at Fishlegs again. "Fishface stole my axe!"

"I wouldn't _touch_ your axe!" said Fishlegs desperately. "Hiccup, tell him! You know I wouldn't!"

"Snotlout, where is this coming from?" Hiccup said; beside him, Astrid crossed her arms, axe strapped to her back. "You know Fishlegs wouldn't!"

"He did!" said Snotlout. "I'm sure he did! He's trying to get me kicked out of the group, but I know what he's trying to do, and he won't outsmart me!"

"What in the name of _Thor!?"_ Hiccup said. "Wh-What, Snotlout, _what!?"_

"Did you actually _see_ Fishlegs steal your axe, Snotlout?" Astrid said, glaring angrily.

Snotlout lifted his finger and opened his mouth, just to drop that same finger and click his jaw shut. "No," he said.

"See?" said Hiccup. "There you go! Rightfully, _anyone_ could have taken your axe. One of the twins could have taken it!"

"Or," said Astrid, "no one stole it at all. I'm pretty sure I saw your axe in the Clubhouse earlier this morning, Snotlout. Remember? Yesterday you were trying to sharpen it so you could spar with Barreck."

"Oh…" said Snotlout quietly. "Right...fine." He turned and stormed off, pushing his way between Astrid and Hiccup. He slammed the door behind him; his stomps could still be heard until he mounted Hookfang and soared off.

Astrid and Hiccup turned back to Fishlegs, who looked terrified. "What was that all about?" Hiccup asked.

"I don't know," Fishlegs said. "He just ran in here and started accusing me...it's not going to get better, Hiccup."

"What could make Snotlout like that?" said Astrid in confusion. "I know he's normally not the _kindest_ person in the world, but for him to do this is just uncharacteristic of him."

"You're right," said Hiccup. "Look, we'll call a meeting tonight and finish up the plans for our attack on Viggo's base. Barreck gave me a number on Ryker's armada."

This perked Fishlegs up instantly. "Really?" he said. "How many?"

"Not enough to take us out when we attack," said Astrid. "But we're still going to need a plan. We're going to start marking off all possible places and eliminate them accordingly until we have a good idea as to where Ryker's keeping Barreck's friend and the Dragon Eye."

"That sounds great!" said Fishlegs excitedly, beaming. "Have you guys already built the map?"

"Part of it," said Hiccup. "We were coming to see if you felt up to helping us finish up. We can't do anything else until that map is finished."

"Sure!" said Fishlegs. "I'll be glad to help! But, Hiccup…" He looked uncertain again, and he twiddled his fingers. "What about Snotlout?" he said quietly. "Do you have any idea why he's being like this?"

"I don't," Hiccup admitted. "Not yet. Come on, let's go work on that map, and we can call the meeting at nightfall."

…

Ruffnut and Tuffnut were in the forest with Barf and Belch. Neither of them were quite sure _why_ exactly they were there - it happened quite often with them. They started walking, and when they stopped, they didn't know for how long they had been walking or where they had walked to.

Ruffnut looked over at her brother, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say that wouldn't end up with Tuffnut getting angry with her. "Tuff," she finally said, quietly, "if something I said bothered you, you shouldn't shut up. I want to know. I mean, it's not like I _mean_ anything when I insult you. You know that, right?"

Tuffnut didn't answer.

"Tuffnut, you're more important to me than anything else," said Ruffnut. "You know that, don't you? And you're always insulting me, so it's not like you don't get me back!"

Tuffnut still didn't say anything.

Ruffnut, trying to be lighthearted about the situation, reached over and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Come on!" she said. "Tell me, bro! Or you can insult me right back and we'll call it even, alright? You're kind of scaring me with all your moping and droning. It's worse than Beorn Boar's death."

"I never minded it when you insulted me to my face," said Tuffnut.

"Well, good!" said Ruffnut. "Then what's wrong? Was it something someone else said? 'Cause if it was…" And she slammed her fist into her open palm for emphasis.

Tuffnut shook his head. "I said I didn't mind it when you insulted me to my _face_ ," said Tuffnut. "Because then, I knew you were joking. But...when you say it to someone else when I'm not around…"

Ruffnut blinked at him. "What?" she said. "When have I ever insulted you without you being there to insult you? Where's the fun in insulting someone if they're not around to hear it?"

"I don't know," said Tuffnut. "Why don't you ask yourself that question? You're obviously much more knowledgable than me!"

"Is _that_ what's bothering you?" said Ruffnut, and this time, she was angry. "Are you angry because you think I'm smarter than you? We agreed on it when we were seven, we're both idiots!"

"Yes," said Tuffnut, "but which of us is the _idiot idiot?"_

"I don't know what you mean!" said Ruffnut. "You're my brother, Tuffnut! I'd never insult you and actually _mean it!"_

"Oh, you're sure about that?" said Tuffnut.

Neither of them had the chance to say anything else; a Terrible Terror suddenly dropped in from the sky, two pieces of parchment clutched in either of its talons. Tuffnut took one, and Ruffnut took the other, opened it, and silently read it to themselves.

"Um, I can't read _everything_ it says," said Ruffnut, lowering the note, "but basically, I think Hiccup wants us to meet him at the Clubhouse later on."

"I know that," said Tuffnut, lowering his note. "Despire popular opinion, I'm not stupid."

Ruffnut looked at him, torn between saying something and staying quiet.

Finally, at long last, she decided.

She would stay silent until whatever was bothering Tuffnut blew over.

Because talking to him certainly wasn't helping matters at all.

Without knowing what else to do, she turned and mounted Barf, and after a moment, Tuffnut turned and mounted Belch. Neither of them said anything. The Zippleback, confused at its riders' silence when they were usually so obnoxious, spread his wings and took to the sky, flying back towards the Clubhouse.

…

"Hey, Barreck," said Snotlout, approaching Barreck. The two of them were in the forest, Barreck with his sword and Snotlout with his newly found axe which Fishlegs had most certainly _not_ stolen.

"Hello, Snotlout," said Barreck, turning with a smile in Snotlout's direction. "How goes the plans to vanquish the dragon hunters?"

"Well, as far as I know, they're going good," said Snotlout, "but Hiccup's called a meeting in the Clubhouse at sundown. He wants us both to be there."

"Of course," said Barreck, bowing his head and sheathing his sword. "I owe a lot to you and your friends for agreeing to help me. My friend means a lot to me. He's all I have."

"Yeah," said Snotlout, "sure, no problem. Come on, let's go."

He and Barreck headed towards the Clubhouse, Ruffnut and Tuffnut heading in from above, and Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs already there.


	7. Chapter 7

**I MADE IT! THREE UPDATES TODAY! :D :D :D :D :D :D WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :D :D :D But sorry in advance for the cliffhanger. :P You know how I am! :) Shout-outs:**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Sorry not sorry. XD I**

 **HappyPup1: I know you're not kidding. ;) Everyone hates Barreck right now because he broke up the twins. Poor Ruffnut and Tuffnut. :(**

 **midnightsky0612: Barreck is still VERY suspicious...**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yeah, poor Ruffnut...I feel so sorry for both of them, really, Ruffnut and Tuffnut...not so much Snotlout...but I feel bad for him and Fishlegs, too. :)**

 **wikelia: I think the scene between Ruffnut and Tuffnut in "Bad Moon Rising" made me feel like an old Wodensfang. That scene really killed me. So I decided to write more twin bonding. :) Very sweet. :)**

 **AquaticDragon: Climb aboard the 3 chapter train! Toot toot! :D**

 **Guest (#1): We know something's going to happen...but what that something is remains to be seen. :)**

 **Jo: But you will sooooooooon. XD I know I've said that too much. :D :D :D**

 **Animals Rule: Nah, Barreck wouldn't try something like that. And even if he did, Astrid would never believe him. She knows Hiccup too well. :)**

 **Dimensional Girl: There will be some twin hilarity soon, I promise. ;)**

 **bella: Thanks! :D Yeah, the twins are adorable. :) I think I'm going to have "Teach a Man to Fish" have both father/son elements and Hiccup/dragon riders elements. Like, we could have a main plot with Hiccup and Stoick, and sub-plot focusing on Astrid and the gang. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **SilverGhostWolf: Yeah...I feel so bad for both Ruffnut and Tuffnut. :(**

* * *

Ruffnut and Tuffnut landed Barf and Belch on the platform in front of the Clubhouse. Instantly, Tuffnut leapt off Belch's neck and headed inside wordlessly. Ruffnut reached a hand out towards him and called, "Tuffnut?" but he didn't say anything to her in response.

Ruffnut looked down in defeat, dismounted her dragon slowly and, dragging her feet as she walked, pulled herself halfheartedly into the Clubhouse.

Astrid, Hiccup and Fishlegs were already there, and they turned to look at Ruffnut and Tuffnut in slight confusion when they stepped into the room. Tuffnut instantly sat himself down at the table, and Ruffnut made her way towards Hiccup and Astrid.

"He won't tell me what's bothering him," said Ruffnut to Hiccup.

"This is weird," said Astrid. "Ruffnut, do you have _any_ idea what could have happened that made them act like this?"

"Them?" said Ruffnut. "Who's _them?_ Don't tell me Tuffnut's turned himself into more than one person again."

"No, we mean, Snotlout's been acting strange, too," said Hiccup. "We thought maybe you'd have some idea as to what's going on between...well, _everybody_."

Snotlout and Hookfang, with Barreck, arrived shortly after the twins and their dragon. Tuffnut looked up when they entered, and he reached over, giving Barreck a knuckles.

"Hey, Barreck," he said, for the first time in a while, sounding strangely cheery.

Ruffnut's confusion went south for the winter. "I get it!" she said. "Tuffnut's replaced me! That's what the fuss is about! He wants to adopt Barreck as his new sister, except he won't be his sister, he'll be his brother - that's it! Tuffnut doesn't like me because I'm a girl!"

"I doubt _that's_ what's wrong," said Hiccup.

"Hey, who knows," said Snotlout, shrugging carelessly. "Maybe Fishlegs got to him, too."

"I didn't do _anything!"_ Fishlegs shouted. "If you're going to keep treating me like this, Snotlout, I'll just up and leave!"

"Good!" snapped Snotlout. "Maybe it'd be better for everyone if you did!"

"GUYS!" Hiccup shouted, stepping between Snotlout and Fishelgs, one hand outstretched to each of them - they had looked ready to tackle each other to the floor. "Stop it! No one's going anywhere!"

"I don't know what your problem is, Snotlout," said Astrid, "but whatever it is, you need to drop it. We're supposed to attack Ryker's base within the week, and if you're at Fishlegs' throat, the attack is going to go really sour really _fast_."

"Right!" said Hiccup. "We need to be at the top of our game! But if anyone wants to back out, of course...let me know ahead of time, _before_ we make our plans of assault!"

He stepped backwards and crossed his arms.

"Well?" he said. "Anyone?"

Snotlout glared at Fishlegs. Tuffnut glared at Ruffnut and Snotlout. Barreck looked at each of them. Fishlegs looked desperately confused. Astrid stepped beside Hiccup, arms crossed as tightly as his were.

No one said a word.

"Good!" said Hiccup, letting his arms fall back to his sides. "And in that case, let's start planning. Barreck!" Barreck stepped forward instantly. "Did you manage to see any sign of the prison cells?"

Barreck nodded. "They captured me for a brief period," he said, "but while making my escape I managed to memorize the paths perfectly with the intention of using my knowledge of the passageways to come back and free my friend."

"Smart," complimented Hiccup. "Now, would you mind breaking it down for us?"

"The entrance to the cells is located beneath the water," said Barreck, making a quick sketch on a piece of paper with some charcoal. "There is a cave beneath them in which one can swim - or fly, through in order to reach them."

"Cool," said Tuffnut. "So it's like an underground little secret water hole thingy. Sounds dangerous...ha, I like it!"

"But you must take caution," said Barreck. "The way upwards through the cave is narrow and steep. Unless your dragons can fly up for a long period of time without flapping their wings, I fear they have no chance."

"Our dragons are more than capable," said Astrid, nodding. "Fishlegs and Meatlug will be able to fly straight up, and the rest of our dragons can tuck their wings in."

Barreck nodded and leaned over the paper again; the rest of the riders did the same. "The tunnel leads to a branch of three different tunnels," he said. "The tunnel down the middle is where they are holding my friend Snare."

"Alright," Hiccup said, "and about their fleet. Where are their men located?"

"When I was there," said Barreck, "they were circling the opposite side of the island. It looked as though they were greeting another army...the Berserkers, in fact."

"The Berserkers?" said Astrid. "Do you think the dragon hunters are in alligience with them again?"

"I honestly hope not," said Hiccup. "Okay, so now we have a bit of an outline to look at. Without Viggo, Ryker and the dragon hunters are nothing. It should be impossibly easy to break in, but we can't take any chances. The Dragon Eye is going to be heavily guarded, and I imagine Snare will be, too."

"They're going to be expecting us," piped up Snotlout. "They let Barreck free for a reason, right? So he could come back here and warn us of the attack to lure us into their clutches."

"Right," said Hiccup, "good point, Snotlout. They're going to have guards everywhere, do their very best to overthrow us, but we have to be one step ahead of them, at all times, or it's over."

"Agreed," said Fishlegs, nodding. Snotlout sulked. "So Hiccup, where do you want us during the break in?"

"We'll make two groups," said Hiccup. "Group one, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut. Your job will be to distract the guards as best as you can. Meanwhile, team two, Astrid, Fishlegs, and I, will find the prison keys, free Snare, and get the Dragon Eye."

"Haha, tag-teams!" said Snotlout. "Like Dragon Racing, I get it! Team Snotnuts for the win!"

"And what would you like me to do, Hiccup?" asked Barreck.

"You, Barreck," said Hiccup, "will help Snotlout and the twins distract and take out as many guards as you can. The less guards team Ficcstrid has to deal with, the better the outcome will be."

He stepped back, thoroughly impressed with all they had accomplished in this small meeting. "Alright," he said. "Are we all in agreement? Does anyone have any questions?"

"I have a question," said Tuffnut, raising his hand.

"Alright, Tuffnut," said Hiccup, gesturing in Tuffnut's general direction.

"So, team Snotnuts," said Tuffnut. "I think it'd be better if I went in on it alone, you know, team Tuffnut. I work better alone than with these two." With one finger, he pointed at Ruffnut, and with the other finger, he pointed at Snotlout.

Hiccup mentally kicked himself. He should have expected this to happen at some point or another. "Tuffnut," he said, "I don't see what could have possibly happened to make you so upset with Ruffnut and Snotlout, but please. We need to work together this time. We're still a team."

"Oh," said Tuffnut. "Do Ruffnut and Snotlout know that? Maybe you should ask them."

"Oy!" Snotlout protested. "What are you talking about, Tuffnut? I know we're a team! Of course I do!"

"Oh, really?" said Tuffnut challengingly. "You could have fooled me!"

"And what about Fishlegs?" said Snotlout. "If anyone should be kicked off the team it's him. He has the slowest dragon. All he'll do is slow us down."

"Snotlout!" snapped Astrid. "This has gone far enough!"

"You're right, it has!" said Snotlout, glaring sharpened daggers.

"If you'd tell me what I did," said Fishlegs desperately, "maybe I'd be able to apologize!"

"But you're too good for that, aren't you, Fishlegs?" said Snotlout angrily. "Too good to apologize! You've always been the prideful one, always thinking about yourself! Forget everyone else! It always has to be about Fishlegs!"

"I don't think Fishlegs is the only coultrup of that, Snotlout," said Tuffnut. "Right now, I can think of two other backstabbers just like that, and you're one of them!"

"What did I ever do to you!?" yelled Snotlout.

"Two!?" cried Ruffnut. "Am I the second!?"

"You're all so clueless!" said Tuffnut. "Why can't you all just admit it!?"

"Admit what?" said Ruffnut. "What did we do to make you so angry?"

"Oh, I think you know!" said Tuffnut. "You're not as stupid as you sound, none of you are! You know perfectly well what I'm talking about!"

"I might know a lot more if you _tell us_ what you're talking about!" said Ruffnut.

"Yeah, Tuffnut!" said Snotlout.

"Why don't _you_ follow that advice yourself, Snotlout," said Fishlegs angrily, "before you go giving it to someone else!"

"Why don't _you_ follow Tuffnut's advice," said Snotlout, "and apologize for what you did!"

At this point, everyone broke out into different accusations, shouting at each other, their voices overlapping each other so that no one thing was distinguishable from the other.

And they only got louder until finally, it was impossible to listen to without feeling like you were losing your mind.

 _"SHUT UP!"_ Hiccup screamed in a voice that hardly sounded like his own. _"ALL OF YOU, SHUT UP! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"_

Like magic, they shut up. Hiccup rarely lost his temper, but when he did, they knew better than to question him. Gobber had put it in the best words: _"It's the quiet ones you need to watch out for_."

"WE COULD LITERALLY DIE TOMORROW," Hiccup said loudly - not quite as loudly as he had been before, but still considerably loudly, "AND ALL YOU'RE DOING IS YELLING AT EACH OTHER!"

They stared at Hiccup, some in shame, some in shock - mostly a mix of both.

"Is that what it's going to take!?" Hiccup shouted. "Is one of us going to have to die before you finally get it!? Life is hard, okay!? I get it! I get it better than anyone! And sometimes, you're going to get stuck with people you don't like, or people you have problems with! People are going to hurt you! But you can't stab them in the backs because of it!"

Now, the riders mostly looked shameful - guilty, because they knew he was right.

"I thought you were friends!" Hiccup said. "But if you're going to let something stupid, like gossip or rumors destroy that, then maybe you're not such great friends as I thought you were!"

He finally stepped back, and for three beats, there was absolute silence.

"You guys are like family to me," he said, "but I will _not_ stand this anymore."

And he spun on his heel and stormed out of the Clubhouse, slamming the door behind him, leaving behind guilty dragon riders in his wake.

…

Hiccup stopped stomping as soon as he made it outside, and after a few moments of standing in silence, trying to get ahold of himself, he turned and began the long walk back to his residence. He didn't know where Toothless was; he figured the dragon was waiting for him somewhere. Maybe they would take a midnight flight, just for Hiccup to get his mind off everything.

Before he got very far, he heard heavy footsteps behind him. As soon as he heard the footsteps and decided who they belonged to, he whirled around, grabbed Barreck by the front of his shirt, and whipped his dagger out of his belt.

"You," Hiccup growled, right in his face. "You did this."

Barreck didn't flinch at the knife pressed against his throat. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third," he said, "you are about to slay an innocent man for the bickering of your fellow friends. Is that the right thing to do?"

"You're no innocent man," Hiccup said dangerously, pressing the dagger closer. "Alvin the Treacherous doesn't know my full name, and neither do any of the Outcasts, and they certainly don't address me by it. Outcasts don't use words like 'slay'. Outcasts live on the southern side of the archipelago, and yet, you don't have an accent."

He narrowed his eyes.

"You're no Outcast," Hiccup said. "You're a dragon hunter."

Barreck sighed, but when he looked back up, he was smirking. "You're every bit as smart as Ryker gave you credit for," said Barreck.

Barreck yanked himself backwards and drew his sword before Hiccup had time to react. Hiccup, far out of sight and hearing distance from the Clubhouse, clutched his dagger tighter. His hand was slick with sweat.

"So everything you said," said Hiccup, "was a lie. You were never captured by the dragon hunters. Your friend was never taken. You aren't Alvin's son. It was all an act."

"Not all of it," said Barreck, and he rounded Hiccup, and Hiccup rounded him, like two wolves waiting for the right moment to pounce. "I _am_ a hiccup."

"Bravo," said Hiccup. "The only thing we will ever have in common. Good for you."

Barreck looked at him, and Hiccup, without making eye contact, made to push past him, walking calmly in the direction of the Clubhouse. At the last second, Barreck caught his arm and held him back. Hiccup looked down at his arm, and then back at Barreck's face, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Let go of me," he said, terrifyingly calmly.

"I can't do that, I'm afraid," said Barreck, but Hiccup could tell he was secretly enjoying himself. "I'm afraid now that you know of my true identity, I cannot let you return and tell your friends."

"You _will_ let me go," Hiccup said.

Barreck grinned. "Are you threatening me, Hiccup?" he said.

"Yes," said Hiccup, nodding, "yes, I am."

"You know how unwise that is," said Barreck. "I could take you out in three .blows."

"I could take you out in less than that," said Hiccup.

Barreck smiled. "I think I'd enjoy seeing you try," he said, "but considering the circumstances upon which we are facing each other, I will have to decline."

And from out of nowhere, he pulled an axe, and just as Hiccup raised his dagger to defend himself, Barreck brought the flat of it down onto his head. Hiccup hit the ground, unconscious.

Barreck smiled. "Sleep well, Hiccup," he drawled.


	8. Chapter 8

**LAST CHAPTER, GUYS! :D I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT! :D Shout-outs:**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Yep...Hiccup knew it. But just a second too late. :(**

 **SilverGhostWolf: Yeah...we all hate Barreck now. No one likes him. :) Sorry about that cliffhanger! I did warn you all in advance...but it wasn't enough! :D I want to see Hiccup have a really long rant/outburst at some point. It'd be awesome to see him lose his temper, especially since he's normally so chill. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Dimentional Phaser: I have updated! :D**

 **wikelia: Yes, we all want to kill Barreck. Astrid and the other riders will have their heads when they figure out what he did to Hiccup, just like all us readers and writers out there want him dead, too. :) I think what I'm going to do is have "Teach a Man to Fish" focus around Hiccup and Stoick, and then have another episode in Race to the Edge season 3b follow the original plotline of "Teach a Man to Fish." :D Thanks! :D**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yes...and now the truth comes out. Barreck comes clean and knocks Hiccup out. What will happen? Suspense...XD**

 **pinkpop002: Well, Hiccup did figure it out; just a second too late. :)**

 **bella: Yes, Hiccup is awesome. :D**

 **Guest (#1): Yes, Barreck is awful. We all want him dead. :/**

 **Crystallion12: Yeaaaaaaaaaaah, sorry about that...I'm so evil to all of the characters, especially the characters I love. Especially Hiccup. Mostly Hiccup. Normally Hiccup. XD Hahaha, I'm so evil. :P**

 **Starry Roses: Yeah, Barreck did make it obvious, but just not obvious enough until now, when Hiccup finally realized "Barreck's true colors." :) Yeah, Barreck evil...and yeah, it was a bit of a nod to the first episode of "Merlin"! :D Glad to see someone caught that! :D Yeah, Hiccup's speeches always make impacts on them...let's see if it does this time, too. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **CoverGirl7210: Well, I didn't make four updates yesterday, but here's the final chapter! :D**

 **TomBoyBookGirl: Hahahahaha, LOL! :D Yeah, Barreck, you little...little...I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO CALL YOU ANYMORE. DIE! XD Yeah, Barreck is eerie...and now it's even more eerie...well, I'm glad you liked the chapters at least, even if they did all end on cliffhangers. XD**

 **RubyTheSkyWing: DIE, BARRECK! :D Final chapter ahoy! :D**

 **MaximumRide159: Hahaha...sorry about that...but yeah, I did warn you all ahead of time, so you can't blame me too much. :)**

 **AquaticDragon: Yes...Barreck is a bad guy. :)**

 **The Ink Splotches: Yeah, definitely not good. :)**

 **SnivyDragon: Yep, seriously, gang. GO HELP YOUR LEADER SERIOUSLY HE NEEDS YOUR HELP GOSH HE NEEDS YOUR HELP! :D Yeah, I think Hiccup would make the best points in an argument. He's really a deep character, and I like that about him. :D Sorry about the cliffhanger. :)**

* * *

Snotlout paced back and forth in front of Hookfang outside of their hut the next morning, wringing his hands together. "I feel terrible," said Snotlout. Hookfang snorted. "Honestly, Hookfang, I do. What Hiccup said last night...he killed it on that one...hit the nail on the head..." Snotlout kept pacing, fretting to himself. "What am I supposed to do now, Hookfang?" he asked.

Hookfang snorted again and laid down his head to sleep.

"That's it!" said Snotlout. "I'll go apologize! Thanks, Hookfang! You give the best advice!"

Hookfang looked up at him and growled in clear confusion, but Snotlout wasn't listening. He had already left, hurrying as fast as he could towards Fishlegs' hut. When he reached it, just before he knocked on the door, he paused.

How did he apologize?

He didn't have a chance to think of this, because at that moment, Fishlegs walked up behind him, carrying firelogs in his arms. He raised his head at Snotlout and instantly looked at the ground again.

"I didn't steal your axe," said Fishlegs.

"That's not what I was going to say," said Snotlout. "Look, Fishlegs, I was thinking about what Hiccup said last night...and...well...I'm..."

"Yes, Snotlout?" said Fishlegs.

Snotlout sucked in a deep breath and blurted it out. "I'm sorry, alright?" he said. "I'm sorry I treated you like garbage, I'm sorry I said you were trying to kick me off the team, I'm sorry I was a terrible friend, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it sooner. I'm sorry, alright? And this is really hard to say, so if you could forgive me, that'd be nice..."

"I forgive you, Snotlout," said Fishlegs.

"Really?" said Snotlout hopefully. "Because if I were you, I wouldn't forgive me."

"Yeah," said Fishlegs, "but you apologized."

"Only after Hiccup guilt tripped me," said Snotlout. "Man, that guy knows how to make you feel bad..."

"But you came to me on your own," said Fishlegs. "And I'm sorry for whatever I did that made you so mad in the first place."

Snotlout looked at him and stretched out his hand. "Friends?" he said.

Fishlegs grasped his forearm. "Friends," he confirmed.

…

Tuffnut walked into his and his sister's shared bedroom. Ruffnut was sharpening her spear with a piece of flint, sitting on a stool, not even looking up at Tuffnut when he entered.

"Hey...sis?" said Tuffnut uncertainty, and Ruffnut didn't respond. Tuffnut sighed. "Look, Ruffnut," he said, "I thought about what Hiccup said yesterday. I usually hate being on the end of his fury, but this time, I'm kind of happy he gave me that slap of reality. I needed it."

Ruffnut stopped sharpening the spear, but she didn't look up at him.

"Ruffnut, I'm sorry," said Tuffnut. "I've been a horrible brother. I should've told you what was bothering me instead of getting mad at you and playing the silent card...even though that card is kind of fun to play, on any other day in any other situation."

Ruffnut looked up at him this time.

"And you don't have to forgive me," said Tuffnut, "but I am really, really, sorry. And if you never want to talk to me again, I totally understand that, too. If you hate me, I wouldn't blame you."

Ruffnut didn't answer. She rose to her feet, set the spear and flint aside, and stepped towards him.

"If you're going to punch me," said Tuffnut, "make sure it knocks me out, alright? I deserve it."

Ruffnut cringed and stepped forward.

She didn't punch him.

She hugged him.

Tuffnut didn't exactly know how to respond to that, so he simply hugged her back. "So, am I forgiven?" he said.

"As long as you promise never to scare me like that again," said Ruffnut. "I couldn't live without you, bro."

"I know," said Tuffnut. "Nor I you."

They pulled away, and Tuffnut, for the first time in a while, smiled at her.

"Wanna go blow something up?" said Ruffnut.

"Sure thing," said Tuffnut, "but first, I think I'm going to give Snotlout a heart attack by apologizing to him."

"Oh, yeah, that's funnier," said Ruffnut, nodding excitedly. "Let's go. It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back," said Tuffnut.

…

Astrid was in the Clubhouse, looking over their written plans and waiting for Hiccup to arrive so they could go over them one final time before putting their plan into action. She drummed her fingers against the table, waiting impatiently.

Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut suddenly walked through the door, smiling, happy, and definitely not fighting. Astrid looked at them curiously, and then, she frowned in confusion.

"Okay," she said, "who are you and what have you done to my friends?"

"Basically," said Tuffnut, "Hiccup really bashes us upside the head with what he said last night. So, we've made up! Friends again!"

The others nodded and said "Yeah," in agreement.

"Well, good," said Astrid, "because as soon as Hiccup and Barreck get here, we're heading to Ryker's base to take back the Dragon Eye and save Barreck's friend."

Barreck suddenly burst through the doors of the Clubhouse, looking frantic, clutching a piece of paper. "Hiccup is gone!" he said, terror lacing his tone.

All heads whirled around to face him, and one loud, unison, _"WHAT!?"_ rang throughout the Clubhouse.

"I went to see if he was awake," said Barreck, "as we were planning our attack soon, and look what I found in his hut!" He handed it to Astrid, who took it, unfolded it, and read it out loud.

"' _Dear Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout, and Barreck_ ,'" she said, "' _with everything happening between you guys, I decided it'd be safer for us all if I went alone to Ryker's base, got the Dragon Eye, and saved Barreck's friend. By the time you read this, I will be long gone. Don't follow me. Regards, Hiccup.'"_

"WHAT!?" shouted Snotlout. "Hiccup left!? But...but we apologized to each other! We made up!"

"That doesn't matter right now!" said Astrid, her voice harsh to hide her panic. "We need to get to Ryker's base before he gets himself killed! Do you all remember the plan?"

Five heads nodded their agreement.

"Then let's go," said Astrid. "Mount up!"

…

The dragons soared over the open ocean towards the dragon hunter's base, over tumultuous waves and sea stacks rising from the ocean's mighty depths. Astrid scanned her surroundings, looking for any sign of the base through the clouds.

It was Snotlout who saw it first.

"There!" he shouted, pointing frantically. "There, there it is!"

Astrid looked down, just as Ryker's gigantic island, monster of a base came into view. "Okay!" said Astrid. "We're here! Barreck, where is the opening to the underwater cave?"

"It should be straight down!" said Barreck, pointing from where he was sitting behind Snotlout on Hookfang's back. "There, in the water beneath the lookout tower!"

"Stormfly, dive!" said Astrid, and Stormfly tucked her wings close to her side and zeroed down on the water. She was followed by the other dragon riders, the dragons flying as fast as they could to prepare for the uphill climb they would embark on in a few moments.

Astrid took a deep breath, and Stormfly hit the water. Instantly, as soon as Astrid's eyes cleared, she saw the mouth of a dark, barely visible cave. She pointed to it, and Stormfly shot towards it and through its black opening.

Up Stormfly rocketed, up a narrow tunnel, towards the prison cells. Astrid held her breath for as long as she could, silently hoping the other riders had made it through behind her, and that she wouldn't run out of air before they reached the surface-

They broke through the surface of the water, and Stormfly landed on solid, muddy ground. Astrid, gasping for breath, dismounted.

Hookfang, Snotlout, and Barreck appeared a few moments later, followed quickly by Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch. Fishlegs shivered. Meatlug shook water out of her scales.

"I hope we never have to do that again," said Fishlegs, shuddering.

"He got seaweed in his eyes and screamed like a damsel in distress," said Snotlout, grinning.

"I did not!" protested Fishlegs, but he was also grinning.

Astrid ignored them. "Alright," she said. "Straight down this tunnel, and straight down the center when it branches off. Right, Barreck?"

Barreck nodded. "That's right," he said.

"Okay," said Astrid, "everyone, move forward!"

And they started forward. Astrid looked around for any sight of the guards, but to her surprise, she didn't see any at all.

"There aren't any guards," whispered Fishlegs, stating the obvious.

"Maybe Hiccup already took them out?" said Snotlout, shrugging. "In fact, maybe Hiccup already got the Dragon Eye and Barreck's friend, and maybe we're risking our lives for no reason."

"If Hiccup really did already get out," said Astrid, "we would have passed him on the flight over here. No, he's still here, somewhere...but where…?"

They came to a fork in the tunnel, branching into three different pathways, and Astrid and the others, without hesitation, headed down the center one, their dragons in tow. At the end of the passageway, there was a large, wooden door with a barred metal window engraved into it.

"This must be it," said Astrid. "Everyone, stand back."

They did as they were told instantly, and Astrid raised her leg and kicked the door down as easily as if it were made of straw.

There was no prison. Lanterns hung in brackets on the wall of the circular room, the brackets embedded in the walls of earth. Astrid, the others, and the dragons looked around in confusion.

Standing in the center of the room was a cloaked figure, the figure's back towards them, face hidden by the black cloak over his face.

Astrid heard a door _SLAM_ behind them, and when she and the others turned around, it was to see Barreck shut the door and bar it shut, locking it with a key, which he stowed in his pocket after use.

"Barreck?" said Astrid. "What are you…?"

Barreck smiled at her; a bone chilling smile that reminded her of all the other villains they had ever faced before. The smile reminded her of Ryker, of Viggo, of Dagur, of Alvin, and Astrid knew in a heartbeat that Barreck was no different than them.

"Oh, Astrid," Barreck said, shaking his head with a chuckle. "Was it really not obvious enough?"

Astrid lunged; Barreck didn't even flinch. Before Astrid could do anything at all, dragon hunter soldiers appeared out of nowhere, grabbing her and her friends and tying their hands behind their backs. They were stripped of their weapons; their dragons were knocked unconscious by sedating darts.

Astrid struggled against her bonds, though she knew it was to no avail. "You lied to us," she snarled. "You _lied_ to us! You said you needed our help, you said you were trying to save your friend!"

Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins seemed too shocked to say anything, and they stared at Barreck with horror, desperation, and most of all, hatred.

"Well," said Barreck, "that wasn't entirely true. I _do_ have a friend here. A dear friend. And I would like you to become reaquainted with him."

Astrid swallowed. "Reaquainted?" she said.

Barreck smiled, turned away from her, and walked towards the cloaked figure, still standing unmoved in the center of the room. "Snare, my friend," said Barreck.

The cloaked figure turned around. "Ah," he said, and though Astrid still couldn't see his face, she recognized the voice, and her heart leapt into her throat. "Blade, old friend."

They embraced like long-lost brothers, and soon parted, turning to face their prisoners. The cloaked figure stepped forward and, slowly and dramatically, threw back his hood.

"Viggo," Astrid whispered.

Viggo smiled at her. "Hello, Astrid," he said. "It is so wonderful to see you look as I imagine you must feel. Trapped. Betrayed. Helpless."

"You died!" Snotlout objected. "We saw you sink to your death!"

"No," said Viggo pointedly. "You saw me _sink_. And as far as I know, you, too, have a friend who cheated death, much like I."

"Hiccup," Astrid whispered, quite involuntarily. And then, suddenly… "Hiccup! What did you do to him!?" She leapt to her feet, and if dragon hunters hadn't grabbed her and held her back, she would have attacked.

"Come, come, Astrid," said Viggo. "I haven't harmed the boy...yet. Of course, we haven't quite been able to loosen his tongue, yet, either. We've had to revert to more...well, to put it softly, _drastic_ measures."

Astrid grit her teeth. "If you've hurt him," she snarled, "no one will find your body."

"Oh, Astrid," sighed Viggo, shaking his head. "Aren't you in a bit of a poor position to be threatening me?" He nodded to the guards still surrounding the dragon riders. "Take them to the cells," said Viggo.

"No!" Astrid shouted, as soldiers seized her and the other dragon riders. "I demand to know where you've taken Hiccup!"

"You are in no place to demand _anything_ , milady," said Barreck calmly, examining his fingernail idly. "Speak out of place one more time, and, well, I fear what happens to Hiccup."

"Don't you dare!" Astrid shouted, kicking and struggling. "Let me go, cowards! No!"

The guards hauled her and the others away, and the door slammed behind them, leaving Viggo and Barreck alone. Viggo sighed and brushed his hands together.

"So tell me, Barreck," he said. "Where is Hiccup, really?"

"He learned of my true identity before the plan was put into play," said Barreck. "Precautions had to be taken."

"And how can you be sure that this little precaution won't interfere with our plan?" said Viggo.

"I know for a fact that it won't," said Barreck. "If there's one thing you and I both know about Hiccup is that his loyalties lie within his friends. He'd do anything for them. He'd die for them."

"And where is the boy now?" said Viggo.

Barreck smiled. "If he's smart," said Barreck, "he will escape. And if he isn't as smart as either of us thought him to be…" Barreck's smile grew bigger and more diabolical. "...He will drown."

Viggo smirked. "You _are_ sinister, Blade," he said.

Barreck smiled wider. "As are you, old friend," he said.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So yeah. That happened. And of course I had to end if on a cliffhanger, because doing anything else would be letting you guys off too easy, and I'm waaaaaaay too nice for that. LOL! :D**

 **So basically, this is the mid-season final! *lame streamers* Yay! :D I hope you all enjoyed this and look forward to the next "episode"! :D I have to admit, I had so much fun writing this episode, I don't even know why.**

 **Aaaannnd of course you're going to have to wait until part 2 to see what happens to poor Hiccup. XD So look forward to that if you fancy, and I'll see you all in the next episode!**

 **Cheers!**

 **-Beyond**


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